US President Donald Trump has said he has approved the proposed deal to sell 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan – a move set to significantly boost the self-ruled island’s defences against mainland China. Taiwan’s defence ministry welcomed Trump’s announcement, saying that it would help to maintain security in the Taiwan Strait and […] Read more
UK Chancellor Sajid Javid announced on Wednesday that the government would double Brexit funding for this year to prepare for no deal. The extra funding will be provided to departments immediately to ensure that the government “steps up vital operational preparations across the country,” the government’s statement said. The money will be used for border […] Read more
Boris Johnson: Diplomatic disaster, EU basher or reincarnated olive – who is the new British leader?
Boris Johnson has been crowned the new leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, and will become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at its most critical moment of modern times. The 55-year-old beat Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the runoff to replace Theresa May. “My chances of being PM are about as good as the chances […] Read more
North Korea’s mission to the United Nations has accused the U.S. of being “obsessed with sanctions” and “more and more hell-bent on hostile acts” against Pyongyang. North Korea’s delegation to the UN said Wednesday that the country was responding to a letter sent to all UN member states late last month. In it, the U.S. […] Read more
The meeting between Chinese and American leaders in Osaka may have pressed the pause button on their escalating trade war, but pundits on both sides remain doubtful about how long a ceasefire can avert a looming showdown between the two economic superpowers. In a make-or-break meeting on Saturday that stole the limelight at the Group […] Read more
Stocks in Asia Pacific dipped on Friday as investors watched for developments from the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, where U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet amid the ongoing trade standoff. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 slipped 0.29% to close at 21,275.92, with shares of index heavyweight and […] Read more
The Conservative Party must unite under its next leader — whoever that may be — in order to avoid the “threat” of a “hard-left” government led by the Labour party, the U.K.’s international trade minister told CNBC Thursday. “We’ll have to come together (as a party) because the real threat to the United Kingdom’s security […] Read more
Xi Jinping will be visiting Japan for the first visit since becoming China’s president, when he heads to Osaka this weekend to attend the Group of 20 summit. While Xi got off to a strained start with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the two have made significant progress in turning around their countries’ tense bilateral […] Read more
As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on several Iranian targets — but abruptly pulled back from launching them on Thursday night, The New York Times reported. The Times report, published late Thursday, cited multiple senior administration officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations of the strikes. […] Read more
When Federal Reserve officials meet this week, they are expected to clear the way for a July interest rate cut by downgrading their economic forecast, tweaking the language in their statement and reducing their interest rate forecasts. The Fed is expected to remove the word “patient” from its statement, signaling that it is ready to […] Read more
